Tuesday, January 24, 2012

He's gone crazy!

A week ago, our little man turned 1. Just a few days before his birthday, the strangest thing happened...he became a picky eater. Now, for those of you who know our family, CJ will eat just about anything. One of our friends jokes that the only time she has ever seen him get mad is when we take his food away. You can imagine my confusion when he refused to eat peas one day. Now, this may not sound like a big deal, but he literally ate peas the day before, and has always liked them. Ok, tastes change. It's no big deal. Then I tried to feed him cheese, another favorite. I was denied once again. Ugh! After the third failed attempt, I got a little worried. I wasn't overly concerned because he had a fever, and I assumed it was related to not feeling well.

For four or five days, we played the "What will CJ eat today?" game. I didn't want to be one of those parents that prepares a buffet, just in case her kid gets picky, but we were forced to take that route. He had to eat something! I was so frustrated. I was making these great little meals for him, and he would only eat a few bites. He also cut back on drinking water and milk.

I did what any other first time mom would do...I googled it. I went onto multiple mommy blogs, baby food websites and pediatrician pages. All pretty much said the same thing: kids often get very picky around the one year mark. Ahhh (sigh of relief)! My son is not a weirdo! I could rest easily knowing that it was just a phase, and that eventually he would get his appetite back.

Well, I didn't have to wait long. The very next day, he ate everything in his lunch box at daycare. He got home and acted like he had not eaten in weeks. He at double the amount he had been eating in recent days. For the past few nights, he has been ravenous when he gets home. He is definitely more active now (just took his first steps a few days ago), so that could have something to do with the appetite swing. Whatever the cause, he is no longer a picky eater. He's back to a healthy combination of fruits, veggies, protein and carbs. Thank goodness. I don't know how much longer I could have handled that!


Enjoying a birthday breakfast!


No matter what, there is always room for cake!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

2011 - A Year in Review

Happy New Year!



2011 stands out as one of the biggest years of our lives. I'm looking forward to what 2012 brings for our family, but it will be hard to beat last year. After years of waiting, God blessed our family with a little boy. As I think back over the months, so many memories pop into my head. I try to write them all down because I don't ever want to forget the amazing things we experienced. Here's a brief list:


January - Our little man came into this world on the 11th. It was by far one of the most amazing things that I have ever witnessed, and I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to be there.

February - Family and friends came to witness CJ's baptism on the 20th. It was a very special celebration performed by Great-Grandpa Fischer. CJ wore a baptismal gown made by Great-Grandma Fincke and had been worn by Grandpa Fincke, Uncle Andrew and yours truly.

March - Visited with Brooke.

April - I returned to work after a three month leave. While it was hard to go back, we are blessed to have such a wonderful childcare provider! First solid food for CJ - rice cereal.

May - My first Mother's Day! We celebrated with brunch at Karsten Golf Course at ASU. It was delicious!

June - Trip to Flagstaff and Antelope Canyon with Tim & Lisa (CJ's godparents). Matt's first Father's Day! We celebrated by having lunch at Friday's Front Row and going to a D-Backs game (of course). I turned 31. Matt and I celebrated 8 years of marriage.

July - CJ met many members of the Fischer side of the family at Tim & Melina's wedding in San Diego.

August - Celebrated Matt's birthday by spending the day traveling to Fargo for Liz & Luke's wedding. Don't worry, I bought him a beer along the way. CJ's first plane trip. His first tooth cut through at the end of the month.

September - CJ's adoption was finalized on the 15th! We are thankful that friends and family were present to witness the process come to a close.

October - CJ sat up all by himself! Visited with Brooke. CJ crawled for the first time! First Halloween! Our little man was a tiger...and a very cute one at that!

November - First Thanksgiving, spent with the Fischer family in Las Vegas.

December - First Christmas!


I cannot help but be excited about what 2012 is going to bring for us. I look forward to watching CJ reach more milestones. I look forward to more visits with our family. I look forward to the fun things that Matt, CJ and I will do as a family. I can't wait to report back in one year!